3020i From Q Acoustics : The Ayes Have It

I loved the last iteration of the 3020 stand-mounted speakers from Q Acoustics. In fact, you can see the review of those very speakers HERE.

For the price, there was – still is – very little out there that can even think about competing.

Who better to set themselves that very challenge than Q Acoustics itself then? Which is exactly what it has done, adding a letter ‘i’ at the end of the name, as a flourish.

Taking the new stand (also shelf and wall-mounted) speakers out of the box, what hits you about the 3020i speakers is just how different they are in design and look. Frankly, the family resemblance is receding fast. The original 3020 design looked neat, tidy and efficient in terms of its lines and curves. The 3020i speakers look completely detached from that original design direction.

In what way? I was offered a review pairing in a wood finish and, in that mode especially, they look stunningly beautiful. For this price point, the design just takes your breath away. They really do look like pieces of furniture, such is the attention to detail and finish. They look like a pair of £2,000 speakers.

Featuring a sensitivity of 88db, they are also larger, 25% larger, in fact spanning 170 x 278 x 282mm while the weight has risen to 5.5kg per speaker. Which promises much for bass, of course – but we’ll see about that in a moment.

I like the new binding posts. They’ve been inserted to improve the “structural integrity” to the enclosures and feature sockets deep enough to accept 4mm Banana Plugs. The design means that the speaker can be positioned very close to a rear wall, if required. I found them solid and robust.

Finishes include Graphite Grey, English Walnut, Carbon Black or Arctic White. All are finished with a chrome bezel around each driver plus included magnetic speaker grilles if you need them.

SOUND QUALITY

I began sound tests via Nat ‘King’ Cole and the title track from the original 1965 album, L.O.V.E(EMI).

The 3020i’s response is quite fascinating, especially when compared to the previous model. The original 3020 is quite dry in the upper mids, compared to the 3020i, which puts some emphasis on the 3020’s detail. That is, there is a slight claustrophobic quality to the original 3020 which enables the ear to pick up finer detail on the right channel’s strumming guitar and certain areas of Cole’s vocal.

Let me go into more detail on this area. Early in the song, Cole sings these lines, “L is for the way you look at me/ O is for the only one I see/ V is very, very extra-ordinary”…and so on. When he sings each letter, he adds a vocal sustain and his voice drops to a bass growl. There’s vibrato in there. On the original 3020s that vibrato is better translated than the 3020i speakers. It’s easier to hear and aurally track. So, in some respects, the 3020i loses a certain amount of precision. Instead, the 3020i adds a host of other changes.

To begin, there is a slight sweetness in the midrange from the 3020i and a smooth aspect which gives the impression of the music flowing with zero friction. The rhythms just ease by like a lazy river on a Summer’s day. It’s quite mesmeric.

Next, the 3020i adds a sense of air and space where there was relatively little with the original 3020 speakers. This means that the mix is better translated in terms of natural reverb. For example, there was a lot more reverb off the Cole voice from the 3020i design, via the the backing orchestra.

Thirdly, the structure of the soundstage is such more superior with the new 3020i speakers. The stereo image is just as strong as before but, via the 3020i speakers, the Cole vocal adds much more dimensionality. That is, the Cole voice is pushed way back, giving the soundstage a greater 3D effect. That helps to isolate the Cole vocal so it reverb doesn’t clash with the orchestra.

Finally, there is a greater sense of tonality via the 3020i speakers. Piano has a realistic complexity, brass has a humanistic vibration during crescendos while the upright bass presents a startling resonance which tells the ear that the double bass is a big box, basically.

I moved to more dynamic a fare and an original cut of Greenslade’s excellent Time And Tide, from 1975 and Warner Bros.

The slight sweetness from the 3020i speakers added a touch of warmth to the drums but there was also an attractive organic nature to each drum strike and, more than that, when the drummer roamed across his kit in a slow, lazy manner, hitting different drums in turn, the tonal contrast between each drum was easily displayed, providing a rich, layered soundstage.

The infusion of air around each instrument helped to lift each, adding to the overall pace of the music, while giving the presentation a rather epic feel. The piano sounded positively ‘grand’, for example.

CONCLUSION

If you prefer a slightly drier sound and, hence, more focus on pure detail then you might want to stick with the 3020 originals. That said, apart from the slight smoothing sweetness from the 3020i speakers (which is a Marmite type of attribute), there are so many new extras and sonic benefits that flow from the 3020i designs that you really won’t be disappointed. Despite the detail aspect I mentioned, the 3020i has no vices. No blooming of the bass, no brightness in the mids and no pinched treble while the extra midrange insight and tonal realism gives these speakers an expensive feel. How the company produces this sort of performance from the given price point is beyond me.

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I’ve been a journalist and editor for 30 years and still retain my good humour. Who’d have thought? I have worked within a range of industries, writing for hundreds of national magazines and newspapers in the UK, Europe and the USA covering: aviation, music, computer technology, computer gaming, hi-fi, mobile technology, home automation, lady’s lifestyle, plastic model making, antiques and more.
I currently write for national magazines in the subjects of business, music, hi-fi and general technology.

57 Comments

Geoffrey

Geoff

13th June 2018 at 8:40 pm

Hello Paul,

Sorry about that. What i meant was that the careful tuning and sweetening of the sound isn’t a bad, negative thing in my book. In real life and in a real room, where these speakers will end up, they will sound amazing and not harsh like many others.

Hi Geoff – gotcha. My principe intention was to alert the reader the the existence of ‘sweetness’. I do know that some users dislike it. That said, it does slightly dull detail extraction, especially when compared to the earlier model. Nevertheless, as I say, there’s too many other positives going for the 3020i for me to get upset by the ‘sweet’ addition 🙂

Thanks Pete – I have not had the opportunity to compare both so my comments arrive with caveats but the Concepts are designed to be better, yes. They feature a greater build budget and facilities. I’m sticking my neck out a bit but, as a rule of thumb, I would plump for a Concept over a 3020 class.

Paul Findlay

20th June 2018 at 1:15 am

Hi Paul, I bought the 3020’s a couple of years back after you recommended them to me and I have to say I absolutely love them… I was in Richer Sounds the other day and you can now pick them up for just £99! I am thinking of adding another set of speakers and wondered what you thought about pairing a set of 30201’s with the 3020’s? Thanks

Paul Findlay

20th June 2018 at 10:15 pm

These would be as an upgrade to the existing system. I was thinking of adding these to my existing setup i.e. 4 speakers, 3020/3020i left channel + 3020/3020i right channel – or would you not recommend that? Thanks

Paul Findlay

Although I see the 3020i speakers as superior to the 3020 models I would encourage you to reach higher in terms of sound quality, if you intend to spend your hard earned money. That is, if you want to upgrade, I would look towards a pair of £500-£1000 speakers. The move to the 3020i speakers would be more a sideways step, in terms of the money you would be spending. That cash could be saved and better invested.

Paul Findlay

22nd June 2018 at 12:55 pm

Okay thanks Paul, what would you recommend around the £500 price point? I imagine there is also quite a difference in quality at the £1000 end, what would be your recommendation there and would I be in danger of overdoing it with the speakers at that point compared to the rest of my setup? Rega RP3 with AT440mlb, Rega phono mini, Marantz 6003 amp. Your advice gratefully received, thanks.

Others to look at around the £500 mark include the Focal Aria 906 and Quad S-1.

You’re right, when you get about the £600-£700 mark you need to be looking to upgrade the other components first. In fact, something to consider, there is a strong case to do that right now. You have a balanced system ‘as is’. The logical upgrade path from here is to upgrade the turntable and then work you’re way along and down to the speakers.

Paul Findlay

22nd June 2018 at 3:58 pm

Hadn’t really thought about it like that, more like choose what to go for and then work towards finding the funds. I know that could potentially mean ridiculous money but I’m looking at a realistic next step up from the RP3?

pj

I must ask (and readers must be aware) that when drawing comparisons to the earlier (3020) Q model, was the same ‘reference ‘ system (and listening room) used ?

A fine ending paragraph you offer up:

” …If you prefer a slightly drier sound and, hence, more focus on pure detail then you might want to stick with the 3020 originals. That said, apart from the slight smoothing sweetness from the 3020i speakers (which is a Marmite type of attribute), there are so many new extras and sonic benefits that flow from the 3020i designs that you really won’t be disappointed. Despite the detail aspect I mentioned, the 3020i has no vices. No blooming of the bass, no brightness in the mids and no pinched treble while the extra midrange insight and tonal realism gives these speakers an expensive feel. How the company produces this sort of performance from the given price point is beyond me.”

What I wish to know, is what component (or loudspeaker ‘changes are responsible for : ” …That said, apart from the slight smoothing sweetness …” (?)

To me, a “smoothing sweetness” infers a. well, ‘sweetening’ coloration -substituting accuracy with (deceiving) pleasantness. Any further comments you could add to this ?

Hi pj – yes, the same system was used. Yes, there is a slight reduction in ‘accuracy’ at the 3020i extremes of the frequencies which the original 3020 possess, as I mentioned in the review, but that extra detail from the 3020 speakers comes at a price, I list those factors in the review. That is, the 3020 gives you this one benefit but the 3020i speakers add a further 6-7 benefits. Hence, on balance the ‘i’ wins.

GS

10th August 2018 at 10:03 am

I’m thinking of upgrading my old MS 902i Avant speakers which are over 10 years old now. The design and look of these 3020i’s is great but would they offer a significant sonic improvement? The old 902i’s are great all rounders but starting to look a bit tatty.

Hi GS – if anything, I would see the 3020i speakers in a similar vein to your MS speakers but I would look at the 3020i as fixing (the MS top end could be a little excitable at times) or enhancing what you already have. The 3020i design would certainly slot nicely into your system.

GS

10th August 2018 at 1:58 pm

OK thanks for that.
I’ve also been toying with the idea of trading in the Cambridge Audio Azur 640A for a Rega Brio.
This would be a significant increase in terms of outlay but will this be matched by a marked improvement in terms of sound quality do you think, even with the existing speakers?

Clive

18th October 2018 at 2:56 pm

Great thanks. Even my girlfriend noticed the difference between the 2020i and concept 20 which is a good sign. So next question concept 20 or 40? My room is about 5m X 4m but 1 side is open plan so 5m X 12m. Ps I’ve got a big subwoofer.

Depends on how the speakers react to your room – if you can get away with it, the 40s. Actually, I’d recommend trying the 40s without the sub for a while to see if the sonic balance is improved. You can always switch it back on if you miss your sub.

John

10th December 2018 at 6:28 am

Hello Paul,
Thank you for the review. I want to buy my first speakers and want to understand how to buy them. I understand that at this budget level, 3020i’s are one of the best. But in terms of selecting the amps, I didn’t understand the infrastructure enough. I want to connect my 3020i’s to TV and use it with multiple purposes (Music, movies and tv..). And for music, my main source will be Spotify and TIDAL. So having features such as Bluetooth or wifi would be very useful for me. I understand that there are stereo receivers that satisfies these features. Is there any stereo receivers that you can recommend in my case? and is there too much difference between stereo amplifiers and receivers. For stereo amplifier, blue aura v40 is recommended to me.

Paul

31st December 2018 at 2:53 pm

Hi Paul thanks for the interesting review. It was nice to read some of your in-depth findings rather than reading some of the large review sites which seem to take up half of the review by just rehashing the specs!

As an amateur music producer and bedroom DJ (house and electronica) I am looking to replace a cheap and nasty HiFi setup with some quality products and was wondering if you would recommend the 3020i for this purpose? If so I would looking to spend around £250 on a seperate amp, woukd you have any recommendations for this?
Many thanks

Michael

6th March 2019 at 3:40 pm

Hi Paul,

I’m considering upgrading my current audio system (90% of the time I’m listening to records) which consists of a Denon receiver, a Fluance TT and a pair of Orb Audio Mod2 speakers (2 pairs of speakers like this https://www.orbaudio.com/products/mod2-single-pack) and I’m wondering if these Q speakers which I’ve been looking at would be a decent upgrade or a lateral step. I love my Orbs but they’re 10 years old now and the sound can be a little muddy at times, though that depends on the vinyl I’m listening to. Thanks!

Hi Adrian – without knowing the shape, design and layout of your room, it’s tough to be absolutely certain I’m afraid but my hunch would be to stick with the stand-mounted speakers which would allow you to ‘pump up the volume’ without producing too much bass excitement in your room. That said, if bass is very important to you and is critical in how you perceive music then go for the floorstanders and pay careful attention to positioning. One general note, please give my room damping feature a quick read. That can help balance the general acoustics: https://theaudiophileman.com/damping/

Adrian Lanigan

Sharon

21st May 2019 at 1:57 pm

Hi Paul
I have a Denon DM40 and my main source is my turntable and CD or Mp3 through the Denon , I had some speakers inherited from a long gone relationship which are just not great.. I would like new ones I have a budget of 250 , I will have them literally on a shelving unit, a very solid one that also has my turntable on and stores my Albums …I was thinking of the 3020i as the room is small 12×12 ft what do you think ?

Hi Sharon – absolutely but, if you can, put them on some half decent stands. That will add to your budget, I know but it will enhance the sound. So, as soon as you’re able, please address that. Removing the speakers from the shelf will also help your turntable because the speakers will be adding vibrational noise to that, harming sound quality. Atacama do a nice combination of quality/value: http://www.atacama-audio.co.uk/c/hifi-racks